Gov. Malloy speaks clean energy, small business support at chamber breakfast

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy speaks about small business and other initiatives for next year at Tuesday’s Middlesex Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting in Cromwell.
Michael T. Lyle Jr. — The Middletown Press

CROMWELL >> Small businesses are not only the driving force behind communities across the state, but their survival in a struggling economy is crucial for economic stability, according to Middlesex Chamber of Commerce President Larry McHugh.

The issue was one of several topics discussed with more than 1,000 business leaders during the chamber’s breakfast meeting Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel ballroom. Representatives from area businesses, including Yankee Gas and Northeast Utilities, braved an early morning snowstorm to attend the event.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy served as the guest speaker and spoke about how to make Connecticut a more competitive state in the year ahead. The governor spoke on supporting the state’s cheaper clean energy options and smaller businesses throughout the region.

“Overwhelmingly a lot of our businesses in the state are small and they have greater access to capital gain,” said Malloy. “This is a place to grow again and if we can get this right, there is no stopping our little state of 3.5 million people.”

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Malloy has been a staunch supporter of the clean energy initiative. Earlier this month, Middletown, Durham and Portland were among 35 state municipalities accepting awards for their participation in the statewide Clean Energy Communities program. The program is an initiative that offers incentives to towns and cities that support energy productivity and renewable energy.

On the matter of small businesses, McHugh called last month’s Small Business Saturday a success while adding that residents must continue to patronize those businesses owned and operated by their neighbors.

“Our chamber itself is a small business chamber that basically drives it,” said McHugh. “Small businesses are the backbone of their communities. They’re doing a great service for their people that can shop locally and contribute to their efforts.”

Earlier this year, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate unanimously approved of $60 million in existing funds to extend the Small Business Express Program, created two years ago as part of the bipartisan Jobs Bill to help hundreds of state businesses create and retain more than 7,000 jobs.

Malloy said that despite those efforts and the unemployment rate falling, there’s still a ton of work to be done with the “little guys” leading the way.

“It’s really about getting a whole lot of things together and getting it right,” said Malloy. “I think they’ll have a great year in pushing us in the right direction.”

About the Author

Former Middletown Press reporter with a focus on Durham, Middlefield, Region 13 schools, Haddam, East Haddam and area businesses.